The Return of the Emperor

[Darth Empyrean]

“Good.”

Maliphant sipped his tea before setting it aside - leaning into the comfort of the sofa he rested on. Meditation did him well, it kept the sickness at bay - and let him have a few moments of freedom from the pain. A constant ache that bit at this nerves - he had no need of it for their conversation. In a matter of a few minutes, he was sure he’d begin to fray once more; but until then…

“Guidance. Adekos, I had an idea -”, he said as he readjusted.

“We already plan on the resurrection of the Banking Clan - but what would you say to finding younglings outside the reaches of the Empire and training them? I’ve begun some work myself, as you can see -”, motioning to Jurin and Kai who’s unblinking gaze never wavered from them.

“- but they come from Barbatos. We grow older by the day - Mortality is a terrible thing. I propose the search for a successor - a whole generation to inherit our teachings and strength.”, Maliphant offered with a smile.

“Before you ask if I’m alone in this, [member="Judas Foster"] has already agreed to join me in this.”, he said with a wave of his hand, as though dismissing a question before it even came up.

[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Good.”

Maliphant sipped his tea before setting it aside - leaning into the comfort of the sofa he rested on. Meditation did him well, it kept the sickness at bay - and let him have a few moments of freedom from the pain. A constant ache that bit at this nerves - he had no need of it for their conversation. In a matter of a few minutes, he was sure he’d begin to fray once more; but until then…

“Guidance. Adekos, I had an idea -”, he said as he readjusted.

“We already plan on the resurrection of the Banking Clan - but what would you say to finding younglings outside the reaches of the Empire and training them? I’ve begun some work myself, as you can see -”, motioning to Jurin and Kai who’s unblinking gaze never wavered from them.

“- but they come from Barbatos. We grow older by the day - Mortality is a terrible thing. I propose the search for a successor - a whole generation to inherit our teachings and strength.”, Maliphant offered with a smile.

“Before you ask if I’m alone in this, [member="Judas Foster"] has already agreed to join me in this.”, he said with a wave of his hand, as though dismissing a question before it even came up.

[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

Adekos laughed.

It was a low, cackling, wheezing sound. Clearly it did not get much use. Perhaps there was still ice in his lungs. This subsided after but a moment, and he used a finger to wipe underneath one dull, red eye even though no moisture had accumulated there.

“Judas Foster is no-one to me, nor was I intending to ask,” he said. [member="Darth Maliphant"] might as well have pulled any name out of a hat.

The Umbaran rotated his wrist, cracking it, but it sounded more like metal scraping metal. “I will be a busy man in these coming months. I do not have the time to educate others. My teachings have never found mass appeal, you understand.”

Indeed, if they had, perhaps he wouldn’t have frozen himself. Adekos was done catering to the lowest of denominators. If there were any level-headed Sithlings or Dark Jedi who sought his expertise, they would find him themselves.

He was finished trying to create them.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

He watched, tested the waters, and saw Adekos laugh in a hoarse - night robotic way. It was more evident with Adekos showed the modicum of emotion he was capable of, that much of his was cybernetic - and Maliphant wondered what it cost the Sith Lord. How much of his potential had he sacrifice in his vain search in cybernetics…

Maliphant ran a finger across his jaw as he considered these thoughts, and finally met the ex-emperor’s gaze -

“I’ll inform Judas Foster of your stance, though I must say -”, he said with a superficial shrug;

“He may not enjoy it.”, it wasn’t so much a threat as a joke at Adekos’s expense. Maliphant almost would have enjoyed watching Judas and Adekos duel - there was a beauty in watching Sith fight, and this would have been no different.

“We will both be busy, Adekos - as I’m sure the Banking Clan will keep us very busy; but consider it. The Clan will give us wealth, control over the galaxy’s market in time - but in the end, we are Sith. Sidious may have wanted us to keep the information in the Telos Holocron for ourselves - but he isn’t exactly in a position to stop us.”

He laughed for a moment before rolling his head to the side, the soft ache falling in line with his heartbeat slowly returning to the forefront of his mind.

“Consider it. I have potential apprentices in mind already - I’ll even let you take your pick of them.”

His gaze fell on Jurin and Kai for a moment, and he furrowed his brow. They hadn’t changed their expressions, but he knew what they were thinking -

“Don’t give me that look. If you were more impressive, I wouldn’t have you on guard duty.”

They didn’t say anything, but Kai offered a sigh under her breath and turned towards the kitchen within the large apartment. Maliphant simply scoffed and looked to Adekos.

[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

Now it was the Umbaran’s turn to scoff. “Why wouldn’t he? I have no idea who the man is, and if he has any knowledge of me, I should be surprised.”

The collective memory of the galaxy was a weak one, at best. Sith Emperors were forgotten like footprints on a beach. Who remembered Darth Vulcanus? Or the Triumvirate that preceded Varanin?

Who remembered Varanin?

Nobody. Because no one cared. And if any of those people had any awareness of how quickly they would be forgotten, tossed aside, perhaps they wouldn’t have strained themselves so hard. Adekos knew he wouldn’t have.

In any event, even in his old age, Adekos felt he would have remembered a name like Judas Foster if it had ever crossed his path. It was so patently generic it could not help but stand out.

"I’ll consider it, but I won’t make any promises,” Adekos replied, “It all seems rather pointless to me."

He finally went for his tea, and observed Kai’s departure over the brim of his cup. She and her partner had quite the personalities (or lack thereof), but they’d do. Only if he needed hangers-on, though. Which he didn’t. Not currently.

"Are they all so tedious," Adekos inquired, indicating Jurin with a tilt of his head, "Or did you pick these two especially for me?"

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Which answer would make you feel better?”, Maliphant said with a quiet glance to the Emperor.

It was a personal pastime of Maliphants to test the lengths he could push Sith; a casual application of Dun Möch even if they weren’t in combat. It was a skill Maliphant was notoriously good at, though some might consider him just cocky - he certainly heard that and more from the likes of the Masters of Ren; whatever sort of Order they were.

“Regardless, no. They aren’t all so tedious, but neither are they all so loyal - or good with the blade.”, he said with a motion.

“I’d prefer them to internalize the Force and doctrines of alchemy, but they never took, so I let them practice with tools a Sith shouldn’t even use.”

Kai watched Maliphant carefully, but she didn’t hint at a protest. It seemed she either knew her place beneath him, or actively agreed with his assessment. Jurin on the other hand, grew annoyed at the banter, moving to defend himself -

“We’ve tried, Darth Maliphant - but you push us too-”, and Kai gave him a sharp glance. He quieted, and Maliphant cocked a brow at the outburst. It wasn’t unusual for Sith to do so, but there was a carelessness to it that wasn’t proper.

Maliphant almost considered it an insult to his guest, and grew a faint look of disgust at his scarred student.

“Speak like that to me again, and I won’t stop with a scar, boy.”, a dangerous threat.

“Now make us dinner. We’re famished.”, another threat, but less obvious.

[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

Unfortunately, Darth Adekos was all too used to being pushed by his peers. “I am flattered that is a consideration of yours. Truly,” he droned on, barely seeming to register it.

It seemed [member="Darth Maliphant"] was more interested in training a generation of artisans and mystics than warriors. A respectable pursuit, if nothing else. Sending Force Sensitives to the battlefield was a waste of good genetics.

Except in the case of Jurin and Kai. Not everyone was destined to great feats of creation. There would always be someone left to mind lesser matters. Like combat, which Adekos always felt was best left to droids.

He watched with no small amusement as Jurin spoke out of turn and was swiftly reprimanded. Threats and scars, the usual Sith dialogues. How tiresome. Maliphant harshly dismissed the two, ordering them to prepare dinner.

Now that wasn’t so typical. Adekos raised an eyebrow.

“You have them cooking for you? How novel. I suppose that’s one way of instilling some humility.”

Or getting poisoned. Sith were infamously resistant to such things, but not immune. Frankly Adekos was not looking forward to eating anything prepared by a recently embittered Sith. Yet another task best left to droids.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Your ears must be frozen, Adekos.”, Maliphant offered as he motioned his hand to the wall nearby. A screen appeared where once art was - and it began to play the news; word speaking of Coruscant’s current predicament between provincial governments. A common story in the previous years, but Maliphant was more interested in what it would mean for his soon to be company.

He offered it a portion of his attention, before turning back to Adekos.

“Loyalty.”, he said with a repeated enthusiasm.

“I understand you may lack the knowledge of psychology, but consider Jurin and Kai much as the droids you utilize; they don’t know any different, so they won’t act any different. A dog is a dog, and loyalty is what they are brought to know -”, he said with a glance to either of them.

“Think of them as any other thing on your Lucrehulk. Loyal to a fault - they just talk more.”, Malihpant chuckled.

Jurin and Kai didn’t protest, and after a moment Kai returned to refill both their glasses - only to depart once more and assist Jurin with the preparation of food. Lightsabers strapped to their hips, and decked in full black robes made them an odd site behind the counter - especially after Jurin put on a white apron.

“So, just as a dog - eat the food if you trust yourself to be dominant. If you’re afraid Jurin or Kai could kill you, Adekos, then don’t eat it. It’s that simple.”

Maliphant took his tea in his hands and settled into the couch, turning his gaze to the television. A rising tide of crime on Coruscant saw organized syndicates become an ever growing issue - but as had vigilantes. It spoke momentarily of bounty hunters, and then passed to the next story; of Mandalorian nationalists setting off an explosion in Sith territory - supposedly able to be seen from orbit.

[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

Maliphant seemed to make an awful and impolite habit of addressing Adekos’ inner monologue. The Sith Lord frowned, but let him continue anyway. It would be a shame to ruin such a lovely dinner over such a minor faux-pas.

But he should stop anyway.

Adekos smiled politely, but it lacked all warmth. “Ah, yes. Of course. You are much wiser than I in such matters, Darth Maliphant. Not to worry. You clearly place great trust in them, it would be rude of me to decline.”

It was difficult to tell if he was being sincere, as usual. Darth Adekos merely sniffed, and let the moment pass in silence, observing the holo-screen with feigned interest. As if he hadn’t seen these reports already.

“There was once a Sith I knew of,” Adekos said, somewhat absently, as if making completely unrelated conversation, “Fancied himself a beast master. Fascinating fellow. Trained his vornskrs since they were pups. They were… Fanatically loyal, I think, was the phrase he tossed around.”

The newscaster relayed the carnage caused by the Mandalorian nationalists. Savages lashing out against psychopaths. There would never be an end to it. Not until all heat was gone from the galaxy. Utterly senseless.

He cracked his other wrist this time, holding his tea in the opposite hand. “At least until his ship crashed, and he became stranded. I’m told he managed to survive some weeks before his vornskrs ate him. All that talk of training and loyalty, but a beast is always a beast. The capacity for betrayal is always within them, barring implants or lobotomy.”

Adekos shifted, watching Jurin work in the kitchen in his absurd little white apron. The Sith Lord traced a finger along his own face, mirroring the location of Jurin’s signature scar.

“It only takes a certain amount of stress to bring it out. For those vornskrs, it only took a lack of food. For sapients, complex as we are…” Adekos shrugged his shoulders and chuckled, a hollow sound, and returned his attention to Maliphant.

“Well, I couldn’t say. But you would know better, I’m sure.”

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“It seems you couldn’t say, Adekos.”, Maliphant said with a repressed scoff.

“Men are not complex.”, he said with a dismissive wave, “They are my Vornskrs; beaten to loyalty, treated to appreciate my kind, guiding hand…”

Maliphant raised himself from the couch, but with an obvious effort. The meditation had worn off, and the man once well known for his spry nature simply hobbled to a full stature; motioning to Kai, she came forward. The Sith Knight stood quietly, motionless - and Maliphant rested a hand on her cheek, readjusting her hair as he spoke -

“Kai understands this. So long as her life falls in my hands, she won’t fight back.”, the Sith said as he moved a gentle few fingers across her skin before wrapping them around her throat. He tightened slowly, but certain - and Kai coughed in protest, gritting her teeth, but her hands never rose to fight back.

Maliphant’s cold, malignant golden gaze fell on Adekos -

“When the day comes I weaken, and she knows she can kill me - then she will do it. It is when I lose power, that I will die; just as the Vornskrs, and just as the Sith.”

Another desperate cough, and Maliphant smiled - though not cruelty, it was something soft. He let go of his apprentice, and while she gasped for breath, he wrapped his arms around her. It was an odd gesture, considering - but he held her there for a moment, rubbing a hand along her back before he spoke to her in a soft tone.

“Now go, finish cooking.”

She didn’t protest, and as she regained her breath and composure she wandered back to assist Jurin.

“These are things we all understand, Adekos. It is the way of the Sith - and a lesson you learned long ago.”, Maliphant said as he carefully lowered himself back into his seat.

“They may plot my death, but they won’t attempt it until they are sure; and so long as I progress myself, they shall never be so sure - But perhaps, that is simply where we disagree.”, he said with a light chuckle.

“I don’t fear those beneath me, Adekos. You shouldn’t either.”

Yet Maliphant understood what Adekos had meant - he only wasn’t willing to admit it before the apprentices. Whether Adekos knew or not, Maliphant put on an act to ensure they feared him - intimidated by the man they thought him to be. His sickness had progressed farther along than he was willing to admit, and while he could certainly fight - it would only take a few to take him down now. An insecurity he hated to admit - even to himself.

No, he could feel the hunger closer to home than ever; and the Vornskrs stomachs growled no different than any. He simply had to remind them who he was; who he could be. Never letting them understand who he was.

[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

“Most men would beg to differ,” he muttered, but otherwise let Maliphant continue on.

Darth Adekos, for all his cold detachment, still found particular distaste in this display with Kai. He frowned, and the slightest twitch in this scowl suggested he might have intervened if it carried on for much longer.

It did not, but his soured countenance never wavered. He set his empty cup down.

“I did not take you for a staunch traditionalist,” he said, a slight inflection of surprise in his voice. “Is that how you would prefer to die? Murdered by your own students?"

He shook his head. “If you are not above such pedantic cycles, why bother distancing yourself from the Empire?”

For all his lifelong allegiance to the Sith, he would never understand their obsession with doing things this way. Better to rule through respect than fear. People who feared their superiors would inevitably despise them, and resentment could only lead to murder in matters of the Dark Side.

Being murdered, or engineering such situations where all his underlings were constantly plotting his murder, appeared quite counterproductive to Darth Adekos. Apparently [member="Darth Maliphant"] felt otherwise.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Who says I’m above them?”, he said with a smile.

Maliphant idled, running cloth between fingers with an idle fancy as they spoke. Kai and Jurin had finished their preparation, and the latter called them to eat - placing their courses about with precise care. Everything was designed with luxury in mind, from the cutlery to the placement of it - and the Sith took a seat at the head of it. There were only two placements, as expected - but the two had set themselves food aside from either of them.

“Do not mistake me for being uncaring, Adekos -”, he spoke as he looked over his own food; taking in the care for detail. Another smile, and he glanced to the two apprentices -

“Good work.”

It wasn’t much, but perhaps that was all the ‘care’ Maliphant had intended to offer them in the moment. He took up the fork, and tossed the salad they’d laid before them -

“- I only embody the teachings of what you gave me.”, The Sith Lord said as he took a bite.

“Of course, if you know a better way - I’m always willing to acquiesce. You’d simply have to show me.”, Maliphant said with a motion to Adekos, taking another bite of his food.


[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

“Who says I’m above them?”

As if this was something to be proud of. The Sith Lord gave his eyes a roll. “Not I, certainly.”

Not any longer, anyway. He followed [member="Darth Maliphant"] into the dining room, taking his seat in the appointed spot.

If he found the meal’s appearance to be satisfactory, the only sign he gave was a softly uttered ‘thank you.’ Quite the elegant arrangement. It had been some time since Darth Adekos had enjoyed any fine dining… Or real, prepared food in general.

The Sith Lord picked idly at his salad. “Yes, the Telos Holocron contains a great many teachings… Some more worth embodying than others.”

Any use Adekos had gotten from the Telos Holocron was purely a matter of technique, of using and warping the Force. In terms of educating others, it was an unfavorably mixed bag. Whip your apprentices, starve your apprentices, endanger your apprentices, (and more recently), choke your apprentices.

The list went on. Exhausting stuff. And that was to say nothing of how many times Adekos had to pretend to be a Rule of Two Sith just to get the gatekeepers to spill the really juicy stuff.

He impaled a small, red vegetable on his fork. “I’d like to think I do, yes – ”, he paused to allow Jurin to fill his glass with water, “ – but if you change course now, that can only be seen as weakness. It would only speed up the current process.”

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Damned if I do, damned if I don’t?”, Maliphant said with a jest.

The first course was small, carefully decided portions to ensure neither were filled beyond the extent of the meal. The second course came in the midst of their conversation - varied fish from much of the galaxy, though notably from Mon Cala. An expensive dish, it was surprising that it had been so freshly prepared - and notably crafted by the hands of the Acolytes behind the counters. It seemed Maliphant taught them far more than just rudimentary lightsaber skill despite it all;

Maliphant prepared his own meal, idled for a moment and then raised his fork in a motion towards Adekos, fish still on the tip of it -

“What would you have me do then, Adekos? Disappear into cryosleep?”, he said with a cock of his brow. Taking the bite, he motioned to Kai and questioned her -

“Would you kill me, should you have the chance, Kai?”, he asked her, yet Kai only gave him an expressionless gaze and went back to work preparing for later courses. Maliphant shrugged and turned back;

“It seems she would.”, he said with a vaguely cruel smile.


[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

Whether these dishes came from Dac or Glee Anslem was beyond his ability to tell, but Darth Adekos could recognize fish when he saw it. Such was his limited culinary understanding. Not that it took much to recognize an appetizing meal when presented with it.

There were worse meals he could have been poisoned by, for what it was worth.

Adekos gave a short, light chuckle at the question, “I can’t say I wouldn’t recommend it. But I do warn you that people have a way of finding you.”

He was still cutting into a fillet when [member="Darth Maliphant"] took to interrogating Kai once again. The Umbaran gave a short scoff at the exchange.

“Now it seems you’re just trying to make it worse for yourself.”

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“If my fate is sealed, and I can not be taught-”, Maliphant said as he cut into his own filet.

It was seasoned to perfection, thin strips of quality fish imported from Mon Cala flavoured with a subtle lemon and basil tint - and the slightest hint of thyme. In every sense, Maliphant had splurged on food for the evening; there was only the vaguest hope that Adekos enjoyed it as well. Tender flesh melted on his tongue before he sighed, enjoying his food in silence before continuing -

“-Then why wait?”, he laughed in a distant way. Grabbing himself another bite, he set it down, and pushed the plate aside -

“You tell me the problems I have, yet you offer no solutions. In what world is that useful, Adekos?”, he said with a cock of his brow.

A moment later, Kai and Jurin both wandered back and took the plates away - replacing their food with a new peach scented liquor that was as aromatic as it was flavourful. Maliphant took a small drink himself, and waited for Adekos’s reply.


[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

Oh, now this was lovely. Adekos hardly drank, but he was always sure to find the good stuff when the occasion called for it. Being recently sprung from his frozen tomb was surely enough reason to celebrate.

He swirled the contents of his goblet thoughtfully, blinking in mock-surprise at Maliphant’s question. “Oh, my. I didn’t mean to imply I was trying to be helpful,” he said, “Simply making observations, as I do.”

Darth Adekos took a light, conservative sip of the liquor, savoring it as one does. Yes, this was more than worth getting poisoned to death over.

“If you want actionable advice, then here it is: ship off the ones you’ve abused to someone else. With any luck they’ll be too preoccupied with their new matters to come after you when they’re done.”

He gave a light, contemptuous snort, “And when you pick up new ones, try not to choke them in front of your guests.”

It was a surefire strategy. After all, none of Adekos' apprentices had tried to kill him. Nor did they exactly make something of themselves, either, but that was beside the point.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Maliphant beamed as he looked to the side -

“Kai, Jurin; would you prefer me to ship you off? Perhaps they would treat you better - less physically.”, he said with drink still swirling in his hand.

The two behind the counter, meandering around the kitchen to prepare their next courses, paused for a moment to look at their Master. Both simply shook their heads and offered a singular resounding denial; without a hint of intent. They either truly appreciated Maliphant’s teachings, or knew how to speak lies with no hint to deception. The Sith Lord glanced back to the ex-Emperor -

“It seems they wouldn’t take it; and I’m yet to be convinced this would produce a safer environment for me or a better quality of acolyte, Adekos.”

He downed the rest of the drink, slowly slid it to the side of the table where Kai soon came to collect one, or both, of their glasses and returned.

“The Dark Side corrupts, and even were I ‘gentle’ and ‘endearing’-”, he said with finger motions marking quotations, “- one or more would see a chance to inherit an empire they did nothing to create. If not them, then Sith for being outside their societal folds.”

Jurin and Kai returned mid conversation with the main entree - and the smell was engrossing. A tender cut of Krayt Dragon - often considered tough - brought to a very well marbled quality that dripped flavourful juice; while the sides were more mundane by comparison, with Ferroran spinach and potato mash seasoned with a variety of ingredients that gave it a very aromatic, and certainly full bodied flavour profile. With it, a naboo red wine well known for its own body, with a bitter tanginess that saturated the taste buds and complimented the meal with an able attempt.

Maliphant cut into his to check how well it was cooked, but did not slice off a piece as he looked across the table once more -

“Do you believe that if I gave you Jurin and Kai, left them to your able bodied care; you could turn them into more than they are, Adekos?”, he said with a motion of his fork.

Taking his own bite at last, he spent a few moments to ruminate on Adekos response.

[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

“There are bound to be bad apples in any orchard, Maliphant,” Darth Adekos retorted, pausing to give an impatient sigh. “One reduces their number depending on the methods of cultivation. You will never be safe, that is true, but would you prefer one person be trying to kill you, or twenty? Forty, of four hundred?”

Adekos similarly took the time to inspect his cut to ensure it was well-enough done. Perhaps if they did not intend to poison him outright, they were looking to sicken him by serving undercooked meat. The long con, truly.

He apparently found it satisfactory, as he offered no complaint. Only continuing on with the current discussion, riveting as it was. “Quality is subjective. If you are looking to produce the next Darth Bane, then certainly – have them electrocuted every six hours; find their loved ones and torture them in hideous ways.”

Yes, it seemed even the most ancient of Sith were odious to Darth Adekos. Blessed is the Umbaran whose contempt covers all ages of history, sparing none their dry condescension.

“And if you want a legion of blade masters skilled in the culinary arts,” he offered a nod of acknowledgement to Jurin or Kai – whoever was closer, “Then yes, you could stand to be a little more professional.”

There it was. Venom slipped into his voice with that last word, gone as fast as it came. Perhaps Adekos recalled past injustices with those words, against him or others. Or he simply foresaw the next string of avoidable disasters.

Proof that even the wretched and brow-beaten could still have an ego, could still think their way of doing things was best... Even as they were.

At Darth Maliphant’s last question, Adekos paused to consider both Jurin and Kai. Could he do it? Jurin was clearly a disciplinary problem in the making, but passion could be directed to more ends than simple hatred. Kai was an enigma... Which meant she was restrained, and restraint, Adekos often said, was the truest acme of any decent Sith.

He shrugged dismissively. “I haven’t the foggiest idea. You know the totality of their dispositions better than I.”

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“I do?”, he said with a cock of his head.

“Our conversation up to this point seemed to claim otherwise - but I’ll acquiesce.”

Maliphant took another bite of the Krayt Dragon, juices pouring from the cuts he had made. It was made perfectly, and whatever was to be said about his apprentices in that moment wasn’t to be overstated - for the culinary skills they had expressed was more than enough to make up for a lack of alchemical prowess. The Sith Lord closed his eyes, and hummed something enjoyable as he ate - a wordless nod of appreciation to his acolytes.

“As far as how many, I believe my concern would be who is trying to kill me. One [member="Judas Foster"]? Less desirable to be hunted by, than say thirty acolytes. For starters, I didn’t train Judas Foster.”, Maliphant said with a huff.

“Second, despite what you’ve seen - My acolytes do care for me, and I for them Adekos. I won’t attempt to convince you on the matter; but know I simply wished to convince you to take them on, to utilize your knowledge in the teachings. Yet, despite my efforts -”

He paused to take another bite, taking care to swallow before speaking once more; and as he spoke, he wiped his mouth with a black cloth nearby.

“- you’ve denied me. And yet, I'll ask again for you to reconsider; though I won't demand it. Inevitably, you'll do as you please; as all Sith do.”

[member="Darth Adekos"]